Crop gathering devices for collecting crops arranged in windrows can include a belt positioned along the front of the device. The belt is driven by a motor to rotate between opposed pairs of roller assemblies to convey the crops into a header that is secured to an agricultural harvester, such as a combine in which is directed along the windrow. It is desirable to maintain a constant angle (“picking angle”) and spacing with respect to the ground by the crop gathering device despite encountering undulations in the field.
In operation, in response to encountering undulations, such as ruts or mounds formed in the ground or loose, foreign objects, one side of the crop gathering device may be raised with respect to the other side. The angular relationship between roller assemblies and portions of the frame can vary in response to encountering undulations. Securing the drive motor to the frame results in misalignment between the shaft of the driven roller assembly and the motor. Conventional flexible mechanical couplers used to join the motor shaft and the driven roller assembly cannot accommodate the magnitude of angular misalignment, resulting in damage and/or reduced life of these interconnected components.